It was a slow Sunday afternoon in the Katsuki-Nikiforov household. The family was all cuddled together on the living room couch, with Masha and the Bear playing on the TV. Aki was watching it studiously as her parents flicked idly through their phones.
At one point, Victor gave a small snort of laughter. "Lyubimiy, you have to watch this."
Yuuri looked up from his phone to see his husband holding out one of his ear buds. Settling it into his ear and leaning over their daughter's head, Yuuri dutifully watched Victor's phone as he hit play on the video he had been watching. In it, a woman panned around her house to show her Christmas decorations, which grew increasingly more childproof the closer they got to the ground.
"Isn't that cute?" Victor asked as it ended.
Yuuri handed the ear bud back, nodding. "Yeah, pretty cute."
"So what do you think we should do for it?"
Yuuri stared at him blankly. "For what?"
"Didn't you even watch the video?" his husband huffed. "It's a new challenge! 'Tell me you have kids without telling me you have kids.' I want to do one for us, but I don't know what I should do."
"Well, I'm sure I don't know." Yuuri turned his attention back to his phone as his spouse pouted at him.
"Yuuuuriii, that's not very fair! You're supposed to help me! Right, Akiya?" he asked, nuzzling their daughter's cheek with his own.
She giggled and pushed him away. "Papa, stop! Me watch Masha!"
Dramatically, Victor cast a hand across his brow. "Not you too, printsesa! I am doomed to be scorned and abandoned by my family! Makkachin, how shall I ever escape this tragedy?"
But the poodle merely thumped his tail a few times from his place on his bed across the room, not even bothering to raise his head in response to his master's plea.
Yuuri couldn't help but smile a little in amusement at Victor's resulting wail. He put his phone down and said, "All right, Vitya, if this really means that much to you, I suppose I can lend you some help. Although I don't really know what you expect me to do."
In an instant, it was as if Victor's dramatic show had never existed. He grinned widely, exclaiming, "I knew I could count on you, solnyshko!" He leaned over and enveloped his husband in an enthusiastic hug, sending Aki into fits of protest over her view of the screen becoming blocked as she was sandwiched between her parents.
After planting a kiss on Yuuri's head, Victor withdrew and said, "I really just need ideas for what to do for the challenge. It's a pretty broad category, and I can't think of anything good. What in our house would show that we're parents without saying it?"
Yuuri thought about this for a minute. As an idea occurred to him, he felt a slow smile spread over his face.
"What? What is it? You have something, don't you?" Victor excitedly bounced up and down in his seat.
"I do. What about that pink monstrosity?"
Victor blinked at him. "My car? What about it?"
Yuuri chuckled. "Let's go outside and look at it, and maybe you'll see what I mean. In fact, it might be good just to take a video of it and your reaction." Despite himself, he was warming up to the idea of this video challenge.
His husband grinned. "That's the spirit, lapochka! Hold on a second, I'll grab Aki's things."
The next few minutes were a bustle of coats and bundling up, since Victor took St. Petersburg winters very seriously when it came to his daughter. By the time the two men had shrugged on their coats and shoes, Aki looked like a stuffed marshmallow, ready to face General Winter himself. Victor picked her up and propped her on his hip, albeit a little awkwardly through all the layers. He clipped Makkachin's leash onto his collar and said brightly, "All right, solnyshko, we're ready to go! Do you have your camera?"
The Japanese man held up his phone in answer, and herded his little family out the door. As they were nearing the bottom of the steps, he flicked his camera open, ready to film what was sure to be an amusing reaction from his husband.
They exited the apartment building and made their way towards Victor's car. Once it came into sight, Yuuri started his video. "We're trying to do the new challenge today, 'tell me you have kids without telling me you have kids.' I suggested to Vitya that we use his car for this, and he was confused by my suggestion." As he spoke, Yuuri panned the camera away from the car to show his spouse, holding their daughter on his hip. Victor smiled his signature heart smile and waved for his audience. Yuuri pivoted back to the car that they were now standing in front of. "We're going to open the car door, and I'll show you all what I mean." He stepped back a little, holding his hand out for Makkachin's leash. It was placed in his palm, and Victor used his now-free hand to open the door.
Since the top was put up on the convertible for the winter, it was difficult to see inside until the door had been opened. Yuuri zoomed the camera in, panning it over the back seat. There was a car seat of the exact bubblegum pink shade of the car's exterior, with a matching pink blanket stowed inside. Yuuri said, "And here we have...a car seat…" He moved the camera to the side. "...some toys…" A small stack of books and play items were in his view now. "...and let's take a look at the floor, shall we?" He shifted the camera down. "Ohhh, are those cracker crumbs I see there? Or maybe I'm actually seeing the dog toys?" He slowly showed the view of the car, then raised the angle to take in Victor's face.
He snorted with laughter as he saw his spouse through the lens. Victor looked like he had been kicked in the shins as he said begrudgingly, "Oh...I guess I see what you mean, lyubov moya. It really has turned into a parent car." He looked directly into the camera as he said this, and Yuuri made sure to zoom in to catch the glimmer of resignation in his eyes before shutting the video off.
Laughing heartily, he handed his phone to his husband, reaching out and patting him on the shoulder. "Vitya, it's all right. I know you think of this as your sexy car, but I think you're sexy no matter what it looks like on the inside. In fact, I like it much better this way than it was before."
Instantly, Victor's face melted. "Yuuuriiii!" He reached out with his free hand and clung to his spouse's neck as Yuuri patted him on the back, laughing quietly. His husband was just too damn adorable.